1. Field of the Invention
P-Chlorobenzotrifluoride is aminaed in an essentially nonaqueous solvent in the presence of a catalyst system comprising certain copper compounds and salt compounds to produce p-aminobenzotrifluoride.
2. Prior Art
Aryl halides have been ammonolyzed in the presence of a copper compound such as cupric sulfate, Calcott, U.S. Pat. No. 2,062,349. They have also been ammonlyzed in the presence of a copper compound and an additional ingredient, as for example, lead dioxide (U.S. Pat. No 2,104,983); an oxide or hydrate of calcium, tin, lead, arsenic, or antimony (U.S. Pat. No. 2,391,848); saturated aqueous solution of sodium chloride (U.S. Pat. No. 2,455,932); an alkaline hydroxide alone or with an alkaline earth metal chloride (U.S. Pat. No. 1,840,760); a base comprising an alkaline earth metal oxide or hydroxide, an alkali metal hydroxide, or alkaline carbonate (British Pat. No. 370,774); an inorganic oxidant such as potassium chlorate alone or with a nitrate such as ammonium nitrate (U.S. Pat. No. 1,994,845); or ammonium chloride (Kanto, Derwent Japanese Patents Report 6, No. 4, p 5:6, 1967).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,484,487 patent to James S. Dix discloses the use of copper chloride and nonpolar organic solvents such as N-methylpyrrolidone, dimethylacetamide and hexamethylphosphoramide for amination of aryl halides. These solvents are not suitable for preparation of para-aminobenzotrifluoride since transamination occurs to a significant extent to form unwanted N-methylaminobenzotrifluoride and N,N-dimethylaminobenzotrifluoride.
T. Cohen and J. G. Tirpak, Tetrahedron Letters, 1975, 143 discuss Ullman couplings and ammonolyses of activated aryl halides catalyzed by copper compounds. No alkali metal or ammonium halide is used in their system and also aryl iodides and bromides are used which are known to aminate more readily than aryl chlorides.
Japanese 9110-637 to Mitsubishi filed Mar. 6, 1973, patented Oct. 22, 1974, abstracted in Derwent 16697W-10 (week of Mar. 11, 1975) is a process for preparing fluorobenzenes containing electron withdrawing groups in the ortho or para positions from chloro- or bromobenzenes by reaction with potassium fluoride catalyzed by cesium halides.
British Pat. No. 1,164,223 to Farbenfabriken Bayer A.-G. published Sept. 17, 1969, describes the preparation of trifluoromethylanilines by hydrolysis of the corresponding trifluoromethylphenyl isocyanates.
Daudt et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,194,925 and 2,194,926, show the reaction of certain nitro-halo-benzotrifluorides with ammonia in a solvent medium and in the presence of a copper salt to produce nitro-amino-benzotrifluorides.
Zellner, Austrian Pat. No. 274,785, abstracted in Chemical Abstracts 71, page 400 (1969) prepared trifluoromethylanilines by reducing their corresponding N-acyl compounds with metal hydrides.
None of the prior art discloses the specific starting material reacted with ammonia in the presence of the unique catalyst combination shown herein.